Joseph Biggs, one of the leaders of the far-right American group Proud Boys, learned on Thursday August 31 of his sentence to 17 years in prison. His participation in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, he was accused of. This former soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan had led 200 members of the Proud Boys to attack this sanctuary of American democracy in an attempt to prevent the certification of the victory of Democrat Joe Biden over outgoing Republican President Donald Trump.
This is the second-heaviest sentence handed down by American justice in this case, but most legal commentators expected an even harsher sentence. Judge Timothy Kelly considered aggravating circumstances for acts of terrorism requests by prosecutors, but pointed out that he had set the sentence at 16 years less than the requisitions on the grounds that the defendant “did not have the intention to kill”.
The defendant had previously expressed regret, saying he was now sick of politics and any group affiliation. In May, he was found guilty of six counts, including sedition, with other leaders of the Proud Boys.
Another defendant in this case, Zachary Rehl, against whom 30 years in prison were required, will know the quantum of his sentence during a hearing in the afternoon chaired by the same judge. Two more will follow on Friday, before the leader of the group, Enrique Tarrio, on September 5. The five activists were also found guilty of other less serious charges, such as obstructing the work of Congress or destroying public property.
Joseph Biggs spent more than two years in pretrial detention, including up to 10 hours in solitary confinement. “I believe he got the message,” pleaded his attorney, Norman Pattis. “I know I did wrong that day, but I’m not a terrorist,” Joseph Biggs told the stand , gray hair and beard, in an orange prison uniform revealing tattoos on his forearms, bursting into tears repeatedly at the mention of his daughter and mother.
In their written reasons in support of their submissions, prosecutors describe the defendants as “right-wing foot soldiers who wanted to keep their leader in power”, in reference to Donald Trump who claimed that the election was “stolen” from him. “Biggs spearheaded the January 6th attack,” calling the assault in a post-event podcast “a wake-up call” for the institutions, they say.
